Draft yoke



Oct. 13,1925. 1,557,060

. B. W. KADEL DRAFT 10KB Filed Aug. 2, 1922 Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

BYERSW. KADEL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, AS'SIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO THE SYMINGTON COMPANY, A CORIO'BATION OF MARYLAND.

DRAFT YOKE.

Application filed. August 2, 1922. Serial No. 579,266.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, Brass W. KADEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltiniore, in the State of Maryland, have in- 5 vented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Yokes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of draft yokes for railway cars and more particularly to the type of yoke which is designed to cooperate with aback-stop mem- 1 ber positioned between the draft sills of the car to the rear of the draft rigging.

The principal object of the invention, generally stated, is to produce a yoke well suited to be manufactured from cast steel and 90 which, while comparatively light in weight,

is adequately strong and affords ample bearing areas for contacting the cushioning unit of the draft gear and the back-stop device carried by the car. An ancillary object of the invention is to dispose the metal in the yoke in such manner that the desirable strength and bearing areas are attained without substantial liability of the occurrence of shrinkage cracks or similar defects in the metal during casting of the yoke.

A primary feature of the invention consists in constructing the yoke with a U- shaped portion providing spaced arms which are integrally connected at their rear ends and are adaptedto receive a cushioning unit between them, the forward ends of the arms being designed to be connected to a car coupler, a hearing or seat forengaging the cushioning unit being afforded by a plurality offlanges. which are inte rally united to the said U-shaped portion and project forwardly from the rear end thereof between the said arms, the forward ends of the flanges being terminated in a common plane andQfOrming forwardly opening recesses between them;

Afurther feature of the invention consists in constructing a draftyokewith a' U'shaped portion providing parallel arms connected at their rear. ends andadapted ,to receive a cushioning unit between them, andinyproviding. a plurality of flanges integrally united to the said U-shapedportion and projectingrearwardly therefrom, the rearends of the said flanges being terminated in a common plane'and being ada tedto engage a. draft rigging back-stop and forming roan. wardly opening recesses in said yoke.

Another feature of the inventionconsists in constructing a draft vyoke with a U-shaped portion affording spaced arms integrally connected at their rear ends and adapted to receive a cushioning unit between them, and in providing aplurality of flanges integrally united .to and projecting rearwardly from said U-shaped portion and terminating in a common plane, and in also providing a plurality of longitudinally extending flanges integrally united to and projecting outwardly from the said arms, each of the said flanges being gradually merged at itsends into the said U-shaped portion.

A still further feature of the invention consists in constructing a draft yoke with spaced arms which are provided adjacent their forward ends with alined. key slots and are integrally united at their rear. ends, the said arms adjacent their respective slots and also at their points of junction with the means by which their rear ends are connected being wider than intermediate portions of the said arms.

As will hereinafter appear, there are other features of the invention residing in particular combinations of structural elements and in specific details of construction.

In the drawings illustrating the invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in. the claims a g Figure 1 is a view, partly in plan and partly inhorizontal section, of a draft yoke embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the draft yoke. V

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the rear end of the device. 7

Figure 4 is a section on the line 414, Fig. i y The draft yoke is formed with au-sha-ped portion comprising spaced parallel armsl and a connecting tie 2 which said arms are integrally united their rear ends. The arms 1, which areadapted to receive the draft gear cushioning unit between them, are preferablyprovided adjacent their forward e'ndswith alined slots?) for receivinga key adapted to connect thecar coupler to the yoke in a well known manner. The arms 1 may also be formed with additional oppositely disposed key slots for the purpose "of receiving a key adapted to pass through the slotted follower block employed in the well known form of draft rigging commonly known as the Farlow two key draft gear. To preserve the strength of the yoke adjacent the slots 3 therein, as 'well as in the neighborhood of the slots 4 when the yoke arms are provided with the latter, the said arms 1 are of greater width adjacent said slots than their portions 5 lying immediately to the rear of said slots; and for the purpose of providing great strength in the yoke arms at their junctions with the transverse tie 2, each arm 1 is preferably gradually widened to the rear of the portions 5 thereof, as indicated at 6. The portions 6, as well as the transverse tie 2 of the U-shaped member may be and preferably are not only wider than the portions 5 of the yoke arms but also thicker as well. As shown the widening and thickening are preferably effected gradually.

Integrally united to the tie bar 2 of the U-shaped portion and projecting forwardly therefrom between the yoke arms 1, is a plurality of flanges 7 whose forward ends terminate in a common plane ext-ending perpendicularly to the said arms. The forward ends of the flanges 7 are adapted to engage the cushioning unit (not shown) of the draft rigging. In addition to the flanges 7 it is preferred also to employ a plurality of flanges 8 likewise integrally united to the rear end of the U-shaped portion of the yoke and projecting forwardly between the arms 1 thereof. The flanges 8 intersect the flanges 7 and have their forward ends in the same plane with the ends of'the latter, thus materially increasing the bearing area afforded for the cushioning unit. The recesses 9 formed between the flanges open forwardly into the space between the yoke arms.

The transverse connecting bar 2 of the U-shaped portion of the yoke may advantageously be provided with a flat centrally disposed face 10 for engaging the back-stop- (not shown) carried between the sills of the car behind the yoke. A plurality of flanges which are integrally united to the t e member 2 and project rearwardly therefrom, provide additional bearing area for engagement with the said back-stop, the rear ends or faces of said flanges being disposed in the plane of the flat central face 10. The flanges 11 are preferably gradually merged at their opposite ends into the U- shaped portion of the yoke.

The portions of the yoke arms which are adjacent the transverse tie 2 may be reinforced by means of longitudinally extending flanges 12 integrally united to said arms and projecting outwardly therefrom. The ends of the flanges 12 toward the rear of the yoke are preferably gradually merged into the U-shaped portion of the yoke in the neighborhood of the corresponding adjacent flanges 11. The forward portions of the reinforcing flanges 12 are also preferably tapered, thus avoiding abrupt changes in the masses of metal; In order to reduce the mass of metal forming the cushion between the arms l, the rear end of the U- shaped portion of the yoke is preferably formed between said arms with oppositely disposed forwardly divergent faces 13.

I claim l. A draft yoke adapted at its forward end to be connected to a car coupler and having a rear end adapted to, engage a draft rigging back-stop said yoke involving a Ushaped portion providing spaced parallel arms connected at their rear ends and adapted to receive a cushioning unit between them, and a plurality of flanges integrally united to said U-shaped portion and projecting forwardly from the rear end thereof between said arms, the forward ends of said flanges terminating in a common plane and forming forwardly opening recesses and being adapted to engage said cushioning unit.

2. A draft yoke adapted at its forward end to be connected to a car coupler and having a rear end adapted to engage a draft rigging backstop, said yoke involving a U- shaped portion providing spaced arms connecting at their rear ends and adapted to receive a cushioning unit between them, and a plurality of intersecting flanges integrally united to said U-shaped portion and pro-- jecting forwardly from the rear end thereof.

between said arms, the forward ends of said flanges terminating in a common plane and being adapted to engage said cushioning unit.

3. A draft yoke adapted at its forward end to be connected to a car coupler and having a'rear end adapted to engage a draft rigging back-stop, said yoke involving a U- shaped portion providing spaced arms connected at their rear ends and adapted-to receive a cushioning unit between them, and a plurality of flanges integrally united to said U-shaped-portion and projecting rearwardly' from the rear endthereof, the rear ends of said flanges terminating in a common plane and forming rearwardly opening recesses andbeing adapted to engage said back-stop.

4. Adraft yoke adapted at its: forward end to be connected to a car coupler and having a rear end adapted to engage a draft rigging back-stop, saidyoke involving a U- shaped portion providingspaced arms connected at their rear ends and adapted" to receive a cushioning unithetween them, and a plurality of flanges integrally united to said U-shaped portion and projecting rearwardly from the rearend thereof, said U- shaped portion being. provided Witha teentrally disposed face adapted to engage said back-stop, and the rear ends of said flanges terminating in the plane of said face.

5. A draft yoke adapted at its forward end to be connected to a car coupler and having a rear end adapted to engage a draft rigging back-stop, said yoke involving a U- shaped portion providing spaced arms connected at their rear ends and adapted to receive a cushioning unit between them, and a plurality of flanges integrally united to said U-shaped portion and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said U-shaped portion being provided with a centrally disposed face adapted to engage said back-stop, and said flanges terminating rearwardly in the plane of said face and merging at opposite ends into said U-shaped portion.

6. A draft yoke adapted at its forward end to be connected to a car coupler and having a rear end adapted to engage a draft rigging backstop, said yoke involving a U- shaped portion providing space-d arms integrally connected at their rear ends and adapted to receive a cushioning unit between them, a plurality of flanges integrally united to said U-shaped portion and projecting rearwardly therefrom, therear end faces of said flanges terminating in a common plane and forming rearwardly opening recesses and being adapted to engage said back-stop, and a plurality of longitudinally extending flanges integrally united to and projecting outwardly from said arms, adjacent portions of said several flanges gradually merging into said U-shaped portion.

7. A draft yoke adapted at its forward end to be connected to a car coupler and having a rear end adapted to engage a draft rigging back-stop, said yoke involving a U- shaped portion providing spaced arms integrally connected at their rear ends and adapted to receive a cushioning unit between them, a plurality of flanges integrally united to said U-shaped portion and projecting forwardly from the rear end thereof between said arms, the forward ends of said flanges terminating in a common plane and forming forwardly opening recesses and being adapted to engage said cushioning unit, and a plurality of flanges integrally united to said U-shaped portion and projecting rearwardly therefrom, the rear ends of said last named flanges terminating in a common plane and forming rearwardly opening recesses and being adapted to engage said back-stop.

8. A horizontal draft yoke adapted at its forward end to be connected to a car coupler and having a rea end adapted to engage a draft rigging hack-stop, said yoke involving a U-shaped portion providing spaced arms integrally connected and reinforced by flanges at their rear ends, and adapted to receive a cushioning unit between them, said U-shaped portion being provided between said arms at its rear end with oppositely disposed forwardly divergent faces extending above and below said arms.

9. A draft yoke comprising spaced arms provided with alined key slots, means for integrally uniting said arms at their rear ends, said arms adjacent their respective slots and at their junctions with said means being of greater height than intermediate portions of said arms but of less height than the means uniting said arms at their rear ends and flanges reinforcing the yoke adjacent the rear ends of the arms.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

BYERS W. KADEL. 

